Banner Jones Reports Increase in Families and Business Owners Turning to Future Planning with Wills and LPAs
Banner Jones Solicitors has reported an increase in the number of families and business owners engaging in future planning, with more clients choosing to put Wills and Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPAs) in place.
The trend reflects wider national figures, which saw over one million LPA applications submitted across the UK in 2023. Locally, Banner Jones has seen a 45% rise in instructions for its combined Will and LPA package since 2023 – a service that provides a professionally drafted Will alongside two LPAs, either for an individual or a couple, saving clients up to £150.
Alongside this, the firm says that business owners have also become increasingly aware of the importance of LPAs for their business, particularly since the pandemic, which saw a wave of new business formations.
In the first quarter of 2025 alone, 89,515 new businesses were created in the UK, according to the Office for National Statistics, while Companies House data shows that over 801,000 new companies were incorporated in the year to March 2025.
Further data shows that there were 41,870 business births in 2024 in the Midlands alone, according to the Midlands Engine Monitor (February 2025), underlining the scale of entrepreneurial activity across the region.
With many people leaving traditional employment or launching ‘side hustles’, Banner Jones says more clients are recognising the importance of protecting their business continuity with a dedicated LPA for their Business.
An LPA is a legal document that allows someone to appoint a trusted person to make decisions on their behalf if they lose capacity or are unable to do so themselves. LPAs cover health and welfare or property and financial affairs, giving families the reassurance that everyday and long-term decisions can still be made.
LPAs can also be made which are limited to business decisions and ensure that a company can continue to operate by authorising a colleague, co-director or partner to take decisions around contracts, payroll, and other essential matters.
Its important to note that you can have more than one LPA, one which deals with your personal affairs and one which deals with your business affairs.
Tina Fisher, Wills and LPA expert at Banner Jones Solicitors, explained: “Planning ahead is something families are increasingly embracing, but we are also seeing more business owners recognising the value of separate LPAs for business.
“Just as families want reassurance that loved ones are supported, business owners want to know their companies can continue to operate smoothly if they are ever unable to make decisions. An LPA limited to their business affairs gives them that peace of mind.”
With the process now streamlined and partly digitised following the Powers of Attorney Act 2023, Tina adds that setting up an LPA has become much easier and more accessible than many people realise.
Tina added: “Partly, the increase in applications has come about because the process is so much easier than it once was, but we are also seeing a cultural shift around planning for our future.
“LPAs – both personal and business - are no longer seen as something only for later life. Younger clients are also engaging with these conversations much earlier, whether that is to protect their families or safeguard their business interests.”
In response to sustained demand, Banner Jones has welcomed ten new starters to its Private Client department in 2025, strengthening the firm’s expertise across a full range of services including Will writing, LPAs, Estate Planning, Trusts, Probate, Professional Executors, Professional LPA Attorneys, Professional Trustees, Estate Administration and Court of Protection matters from its offices across North Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and South Yorkshire.